No one wants to have scalp acne,
but it can be even more frustrating when appears somewhere other than your
face such as the head or scalp. When pimples are below the hair they can be
hard to get to in order to treat. You may not realize that many people
suffer from scalp acne that can show up as all different kinds of bumps
including whiteheads, black heads, little red bumps or hardened boils.
Breakouts often occur
when the hair follicle becomes inflamed. Similar to facial acne, pimples on
the scalp form small pustules. They are usually discovered when brushing
the hair or scratching due to itch. Both of which may cause these scalp
bumps to become infected which can be painful.
Scalp acne can have
several different causes. Yeast or bacteria growth on the scalp is one
possible culprit. This bacteria gets trapped inside the follicle causing
bumps and inflammation to appear.
Scalp bumps need
different treatments than those on the face. Pimples on the face or other
areas of the body may be treated with salicylic acid and benzyl peroxide.
These do not work well on the scalp. Scalp health depends on a delicate
balance of oil. Chemical such as these will over dry the scalp only making
matters worse. Benzyl peroxide has even been shown to damage the hair by
bleaching it and sometimes even causing hair loss.
To treat scalp acne look
for you should stay away from chemicals and instead look for natural
products. The amount of oil on the scalp needs to be balanced. Natural
ingredients such as zinc, jojoba oil, and emu oil work well to balance the
scalp. Zinc in particular works to cleanse the scalp and regulate the
sebum gland which produces the oil on the scalp.